In The Beginning
by Dr. Phoenix
Summary: Adam's point of view in the Garden of Eden and the aftermath of sin falling over humanity.
1. Chapter 1

I felt nothing at first, for I was not yet conscious, but as I began to live, I noticed the gentle, rhythmic drumming as the fingers of God smoothed some of the clay from my forehead. The divine hand lightly touched my brow, rocking back and forth ever so slightly to hollow a space for my eyes. A careful indentation at each side of my head allowed me to hear, and I felt the quick, light tugging as my ears formed. Under my eyes, the hand of God pressed and made circular motions, forming the bones of my face. My hands and feet were gently rubbed and carefully pulled, and I had fingers and toes.

Lying there, I was truly happy, for I was perfectly relaxed and comfortable. The warm sand felt wonderful as I began to feel the sun on my skin. There were beautiful melodies that I would later identify as bird songs, and I could hear a variety of other trills of animals I would name later. The scent of flowers was nearly overpowering, but pleasantly so.

When God had finished forming my figure, there was a strong breeze, and I felt a slight jerk as my heart began to beat. My lungs began to take in air, and I was able to open my eyes.

I tentatively rose, brushing the dust off my skin. The gentle rhythm of the majestic waterfall was nearly soothing, and brightly colored creatures fluttered through the sky like living gems. Lush greenery was beset by blooming flowers of all hues.

Although my instructions were clear, my task still bewildered me. I was to rule over this entire land and all its inhabitants, both plant and animal, caring for them diligently. My second command was simply that I was to avoid fruit from the tree that gave knowledge of good and evil, but any other tree with fruit that bore seeds or any plants that produced grain could be eaten to satisfy my hunger. The green plants were food for the other inhabitants of the garden.

I first bit into a mango. A burst of gentle sweetness filled my entire mouth as the soft, tender fruit gave way beneath my teeth. I carried the fruit with me as I explored my home, the sticky juice oozing down my thumb.

Within the mango grove, I saw strange animals. They had fur like the beasts of the earth, yet they flew like birds of the heavens. I held out my hand, and one flew down to me, hanging upside down from my extended finger as it lapped the juice of the mango from my other hand. Intrigued by the way these adorable creatures batted at the air, I decided to call them bats.

This garden had no end of surprises, for as I continued on my way, I saw birds that swam. Flying beasts! Swimming birds! What was next?!

A tiny creature hurried across my path, making chattering noises that sounded like: _chp-chp-chp! Mnk-mnk-mnk-mnk!_ Having no better ideas, I settled on calling the striped animal a chipmunk.

Not all animals were so easy to name. For example, there was a small beast that purred and napped, waking only to bat at leaves to amuse itself. Although it seemed to enjoy companionship, it also like to be independent.

There was another creature like this tiny beast, but this other animal was huge, its length greater than my height. It was a beautiful shade of saffron with striking dark stripes and amber eyes.

How could two creatures look so much alike, yet be so different? Should I give them names based on their similarities, or would doing so prove too confusing later?

When the sun seemed to be lower, the sky became many colors. It was as if nature itself reflected the glory of God and gave thanks for having seen another day. As the colors faded, the sky became dark, but the ebony zenith was beset with myriads of stars. Sunlight trapped in the heavens caused flashes of green to dance across the sky, and even as I grew tired and stretched out comfortably, I knew I was still in the presence of my Creator.

Although I had seen animals do so, I had never slept before, and I wasn't entirely sure how it was done. I supposed all I had to do was close my eyes and relax. Just before I began to dream, I realized something unusual about this paradise that I ruled: Despite the plethora of fascinating creatures, there had been none that looked like me.


	2. Chapter 2

Seeing the female of his species, the bird I had named _peacock_ spread the feathers of his tail, slowly spinning in a circle and shaking to create a rustling sound. He hoped she would admire all his bright plumage and how strong he was to carry the weight of such feathers, despite how they hindered his flight.

The peahen watched intently, no doubt charmed by his stamina and beauty. I wondered what baby peafowl would resemble. Although there were many creatures in the garden, none had yet produced young.

No matter where I went, I saw the males trying to earn the affections of females of their species. The lion and his lioness nuzzled under each other's chins. The penguins built nests for their females. The eagles tumbled through the air together, performing graceful maneuvers. The male gazelles took high leaps into the air and raced each other to demonstrate their agility to female admirers. The noises the frogs made for each other may have sounded like background noise to me, but to them, the sounds were no doubt the lyrics of love songs.

What would I do to win my mate? When I saw her, would I have to dance like a stork or build a home for her like a fish? What did creatures like me want in their males?

At least I wouldn't have to impress her too greatly. There were no other males for her to choose. If I didn't know what she expected in her male, then at least she wouldn't know what I expected in my female.

What did I expect? Would she look identical to me so I couldn't tell her apart from males of my species, as was the case with some species of serpents? How would I know she was my female and not another male?

Perhaps she would look very different. In some species, the females were of different colorations or different sizes than the males. I imagined she would resemble me at least a little. After all, I didn't have fur or feathers.

Another male would have been nice to befriend, but there seemed to be something special about the way a male and a female won each other's admiration, the way a slight attraction became a match. I was very lonely, for no matter how much I wondered about my female, I had to face the reality that she did not exist. I had no one to share the beauty of this pristine garden or the fascination with its inhabitants. There was no other living creature that spoke my language.

I knew already that God was gracious and granted abundant blessings, so I wondered every morning when I woke if perhaps I would see something that looked like me. I kept watching the clay to see if there were any signs that God was sculpting another form.

As I stretched out in the shade of an olive tree, I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine and the gentle babble of the brook, and the scent of flowers on the breeze was pleasantly delicate. When I opened my eyes again, I was surprised at the angle of the sun. I had slept so soundly that I hadn't even dreamed.

That's when I heard it. The sound was like the melody of birds, but it was in my own language, more beautiful than any song I had heard. Looking toward the direction of the song, I saw a gorgeous creature.

It looked like me in many ways, but some parts of its body were different. It had long, slightly curly hair. (My own was short and straight.) Its facial features were more delicate than mine, and its shoulders weren't nearly as broad. Just to stare at it made me feel the heat of the sun. I knew then that this creature was the female of my species.

She smiled at me, causing her face to look even lovelier. A beautiful shade of red slightly tinted her cheeks.

"I am here to be with you," she remarked.

Acting on impulse, I took her hands in mine, amazed at their softness.

"Where did you come from?" I asked.

"God made me from your rib so I will stand beside you. I was not made from your head to be your ruler or from your feet to be your servant."

"My rib? You are my own flesh!" I tentatively tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You are God's special gift to me!"

We stared into each other's eyes for several long moments.

"Am I…?" I hesitantly began. "Do I please you? You were made to help me, but I haven't asked how you feel about it."

She looked away as her entire face reddened. "You are rather muscular. More than that, you seem so gentle and kind. I'm sure you will be a good companion."

Noticing that the beauty of the setting sun captured her attention, I suggested, "Let's take a walk together. We can get to know more about each other and enjoy the beauty of God's creation."

Hand in hand, we strolled among the fruit trees and flowers as the diurnal animals prepared to sleep and the creatures of the night awakened. Above us, the sky gradually darkened, illuminated by myriads of stars. We talked long into the night. I feared sleep, for I was afraid this precious gift would vanish if I closed my eyes, but when she placed her head on my shoulder in a field of sunflowers, I fell asleep with my arms around her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Have you named all the animals?" Ishshah asked as we walked together.

"I named all of them before you were created," I answered.

"I wish I could have named just one."

After giving the matter some thought, I finally got an idea. "You can help me give names to the male and female. I named all the species, but I don't quite have names to differentiate between the genders of all creatures."

"What do you have so far?" Ishshah queried.

I told her about the peacock and his peahen, the tiger and his tigress, the leopard and his leopardess, and the lion and his lioness.

Watching the sheep with the big horns, Ishshah remarked, "They look as if they wouldn't even notice if they rammed their heads into the nearest tree. Perhaps we should call them rams."

I agreed that her idea was certainly reasonable.

Since the swine looked as if their tusks could bore through anything, Ishshah suggested that we refer to their males as boars. The swine also ate almost anything sown in the ground, so Ishshah proposed that we call the female swine a sow.

I will now reveal a secret that I have never fully admitted, even to myself. There are some animals that have names for their species, but Ishshah and I were never able to decide what to call the different genders.

For example, we have no separate words for male and female bats. Apes, butterflies, cheetahs, fish, moles, servals, penguins, snakes, and many animals that live in the ocean are only a handful of other species who have yet to be given separate names for each gender.

I called my female Ishshah, for she had been taken from _Ish._ I wondered if animals felt about their females the way I felt about mine. Did they simply take a female because it was the way they would cause more members to come of their species, or did they feel more happiness and contentment when their females were near them? Were they excited to be with their females forever? Did they think each night when they fell asleep that maybe their females would vanish the next day? Would they be willing to do anything to make their females happy?

For all her good traits, Ishshah asked many questions I had never considered. Once she asked me how the actions of the animals would multiply their species.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "I haven't seen any baby animals yet, so I still don't know how they'll get here."

"What do you think they'll look like?"

I shrugged. "I suppose they'll look like their parents, but much smaller. Why would they look any different?"

"Do you think there will ever be any baby people in the world?"

The idea had never crossed my mind. I supposed there would be baby people eventually, for God had told every creature to fill the earth with more of its kind, but I was in no hurry for there to be more people. I was happy just to share the paradise of the garden with my beautiful Ishshah forever.


	4. Chapter 4

As Ishshah and I walked through the garden, her eyes fell on the only tree whose fruit we had been forbidden to eat. I had often found myself curious about the tree, but with all the wonders of the garden, it had been easy enough to ignore.

"Why did God make that tree?" Ishshah queried. "If we're not supposed to eat its fruit, why was it created?"

"Perhaps there is another purpose for it besides food," I suggested. "It does seem to offer a great deal of shade."

She wandered over to where the tree stood. "Do you suppose we would die just from touching the bark or the leaves?"

I shrugged, reminding Ishshah that God had given us so many other beautiful gifts. With all the trees we had permission to use as freely as we wished, why should we concern ourselves with this one, especially since it seemed useless at best?

"I suppose you're right," Ishshah stated.

The leaves rustled, and a beautiful serpent began to uncoil itself ever so slightly.

"What's this nonsense about a useless tree?" he queried. "Did not God give you permission to eat from any tree in the garden?"

Until now, I had never heard a serpent speak, but I was still discovering new wonders of God's creation every time I walked through the garden, so it did not seem unusual to me. It never occurred to me that in a pristine paradise, I might encounter an evil spirit, let alone the Adversary himself! That being, I was entirely unaware that it was not the snake itself who spoke, but the Adversary who spoke through the serpent.

"We may eat of any tree but this one," Ishshah answered, "for on the day we do, we will die."

I can only pray our grandchildren will not behave as foolishly as we, for when the Adversary speaks, you are under no obligation to answer him. Ignore him, or better yet, command him to flee. Do not, under any circumstances, give an answer that will draw you into twisted logic and misconstrued words of almighty God!

"You will not die," the Adversary argued. "You will simply become like God and know good from evil."

Something didn't seem right. Why would God withhold anything good from us? Wouldn't it be good for us to know good from evil?

As I have stated, it did not occur to me at the time that the Adversary had entered the serpent and was deceiving us. I believed everything in the garden was pure, including the information we now received. I even believed that perhaps it was the voice of God speaking through the snake, telling us that after a period of testing, we had proven worthy and could now eat the fruit.

Ishshah took one of the fruits in her hand. It was perfectly smooth and incredibly soft. The vibrant colors seemed to ooze the sweet juice in the fruit's flesh.

Ishshah took a bite, closing her eyes to savor it. She then held out the fruit to me, and I too bit into it, relishing the tender sweetness.

As soon as I had swallowed the small bit of fruit in my mouth, I was immediately seized by the desire to hide myself. I was ashamed of my body. My only thought was to cover it so no one else could see.

I noticed that Ishshah had also hidden in another bush. We had spent so much time together without a care in the world, but now we were each mortified at the idea of being seen by the other.

Little did we realize the true damage of what we had done. All generations would curse us every time they experienced the death of a loved one or fell victim to a crime or felt the pain of a physical injury or a broken heart. We had brought sin and death into the world, and neither of us were powerful enough to undo the great curse that now befell humanity.


	5. Chapter 5

I sighed in dismay as I walked away from our hut. Chawwah, as I now called my Ishshah, would spend the day gathering plants for us, but I knew I had to plant seeds so we would have food closer to our home. Somehow, I knew food would not always be plentiful. Perhaps that was what God had meant when punishing me with toiling for my food.

The ground was resistant rather than soft and yielding. No matter how I tried to scoop it away with my hands, I simply got dirt under my chipped fingernails. I had to find another way, a better way.

Taking a sharp stick, I dragged it through the soil. This method proved more effective, but my hands began to turn red and ache. When I felt a sharp jab, I noticed a little piece of rough wood had gotten lodged in my finger. I jerked it out and continued my work, but something was wrong. My hands were covered with little white dots. When I touched them, water leaked out of my skin, but then the little dots hurt worse.

I felt worse as the sun rose higher in the sky, making the day hotter. Sweat poured from my entire body, and I smelled terrible. It was harder to work when I was too hot, and after doing work for so long, I was very tired. I wanted to lie down and sleep. When sweat or dirt got on the dots on my hands, I wanted to scream.

Accidentally stepping on a stone caused me to cry out. The jagged edge had cut my skin, causing red water to come from it. I somehow understood that this liquid must be blood. I thought I must find a way to make something for my feet so they wouldn't hurt this way, but I didn't want another animal to die like the first one did to make my clothes.

What did it mean to die? I knew it meant that someone couldn't move or see or hear anymore. It looked like sleeping. However, the animal that had died had never been able to wake up. It had disappeared forever, as if it had never existed at all.

I knew that when I died, my body would become dirt, just like it had been before I was made. What would happen to me when my body was dirt? Would I be asleep forever? Would I simply not exist?

To make myself feel better, I decided to go to the nearby stream for water. My throat was so dry that I could barely swallow, and my first few sips of water tasted like dust. I had been created from dirt and would spend my days tending soil until the day arrived when I became dust once more. It seemed a sorrowful existence, perhaps even futile.

Plunging into the gentle current, I relished the cool water that swept over my exhausted body. The refreshing stream gave me new energy and eased my pains.

Feeling much better, I was able to think much more clearly. I needed a larger stick, perhaps something nearly my height, that I could drag across a patch of land and make little lines in the earth to grow food. Maybe the sharp stone that had hurt me could be of service. Maybe it could cut the soil like it had cut my skin. I just needed a way to attach it to the end of a long stick.

Seeing a vine that hung from a tree branch gave me an idea. Maybe I could wrap the vine around the stick and the stone at the same time. Then the stone would stay on the stick, and I could drag the stick as I walked. The soil would be cut, and I could bury the seeds and hope they became plants we could eat.

When I got out of the water, I realized I had no idea what to do with my wet clothes. I didn't have anything else to wear, and I didn't want another animal to be killed. Maybe there were plants that could make clothes. I would have to ask Chawwah what she thought.

However, I noticed there was no longer soil on my clothes, and I smelled much better after being in the water. Perhaps in addition to quenching thirst, water was also meant to be used to make things clean.

When I returned home, I left my clothes to dry in the sun. I was ashamed to be without them, but I was uncomfortable walking around in wet garments. I kept looking around to make sure no one was around, feeling my face grow hot when I saw a squirrel chattering at me from the nearest tree, its tail lashing as it scolded.

"Animals didn't eat the fruit. They don't know you're unclothed."

I jumped at the sound of the voice, embarrassed that Chawwah could see my entire body.

"I didn't hear you coming," I stated. "I swam in water because I was tired from working."

She smiled, her face turning red as she looked away shyly. "I…don't mind…You do have nice muscles."

I took her hands in mine. "Remember when we walked this way together without shame before each other?"

Hesitantly, she placed her garment near mine.

"Do I still look beautiful," she queried, "or are you ashamed of me?"

I brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, and we renewed our special bond as a male and his female. Before the end of the day, I knew we would never again be ashamed of our bodies when we were alone with each other. It wasn't until several weeks later that I realized what had truly happened.


	6. Chapter 6

I was becoming increasingly more frustrated. I had placed seeds in the ground and covered them with soil. However, when I went to the field the following day, I saw no signs of life. I couldn't understand what was wrong.

To clear my mind, I wandered down to the stream. There I saw a small fish that had been dropped on the bank by a bird. It flopped around helplessly, its mouth opening and closing.

I understood that it needed water. Fish can't swim on land. Ignoring the cold, slippery feel in my hand, I gently picked up the fish and placed it in the stream. At once, it was able to swim away, lively once more.

Maybe the seeds needed water too. Maybe that was why they couldn't become plants. Determined to try my new idea, I put my hands together and took a handful of water to the field, but by the time I arrived, there was only a drop left. The rest had steadily dripped through my hands.

There had to be some way to carry water, something shaped like my hands when I put them together. A hollow stump could probably hold water, but it was too big to carry. I considered each plant carefully, trying to find something.

At long last, I had the idea that anything that could hold juice could hold water. I would try a gourd. The juice was bitter, but if it drained, perhaps the gourd could hold water instead.

The following day, the gourd looked like it had dried out enough in the hot sun that all the juice had disappeared. Picking it up, I went to the stream to gather water. To my delight, I was able to pour a little over each of the buried seeds, although I was exhausted after several trips. There had to be a better way, but for now, it was better than nothing.

I had noticed that not all animals tried to bite us. The ones called sheep seemed docile enough. Maybe there was some purpose for keeping sheep near our hut.

My first thought was to build the sheep a hut of their own, but they didn't seem interested in the crude shelter I made. Chawwah remarked that perhaps the sheep still wanted to feel free to move around, but I should move pieces of wood around them so they wouldn't leave.

I used vines and branches to make a sort of circle around a large area. It didn't look as if it would last too long, but maybe it would be long enough for me to think of something else.

The sheep were easy enough to lure through the opening I had made. I just placed down a trail of food, and the sheep followed. I closed the entrance to the enclosure, rejoicing to see sheep so near our home.

"What do we do with them now?" Chawwah asked rhetorically. "I suppose we'll have to let them out every day to get food, but we'll also have to keep an eye on them so nothing bad happens."

The sheep kept me so busy that I almost forgot the field, but one day, I noticed tiny dots of green. Was this what baby plants looked like? I kept watering them each day, and soon I noticed tiny leaves beginning to form.

I got bored when I had to watch the sheep, but there was no help for it. They had learned to follow me, and I wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to them.

One of the sheep that had come into our care was fatter than the others. I wonder if maybe she just had an unnatural appetite, but she didn't seem to overindulge.

Now that I thought about it, Chawwah seemed to have a little bit of a bulge to her previously flat waist. Maybe it was just the fate of all females to gain weight more easily than males. Maybe it was part of God's plan, for some reason I could never begin to understand.

I wasn't too concerned about the fat sheep until I saw blood dripping from its body. The sheep made a horrid sound. She obviously felt great anguish, far worse than any I could ever imagine.

When I saw the extra hooves sticking out from under the sheep's tail, I had no idea what was happening. Had she eaten a smaller sheep? If so, why didn't it look like regular waste instead of keeping the look it had while alive?

Suddenly, a lamb appeared out of nowhere. It seemed that baby animals came from their mothers' bodies, and it was very painful. What I couldn't understand was how the lamb got in there. Remembering God's command to fill the world with inhabitants, I wondered if the pairing of a female with her male made a baby develop in the female's body.

I had paired with Chawwah several times. Did that mean there would be a baby human inside her body someday? Would she be in as much pain as the sheep? Were baby humans as gross as the baby lamb that had been flung to the ground in a mess hurled from the mother?

I loved sharing the world with Chawwah, but there were still more questions than answers. I missed the days when God would walk with us in the Garden of Eden, and I would have given anything for just one more day of blissful tranquility.


End file.
